Rotary engine.



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No. 7|4,424. Patented Nov. 25, |902.

J. F. WILLIAMS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

' (Application filed July 19, 190L| (NoModeM y 4 Sheets-Sheef 2 WJTNESSEl JNI/ENTOR.

of EYZw i $49 Afrox/V516' =No. 7I4,424. Patented Ndv. 25, i902.

' J. F. WILLIAMS.

ROTARY ENGINE. mppliaaeion med July 19, 1901.)

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WJTNESSES.- JNVENTOR,

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- Patented Nov. 25, |902.`

J. F. WILLIAMS. R'I'FY` ENGINE.

1 A (Application Med July 19, 1901.) Y 2 (No Model.) 4Sheetsi---Shee'4-`Ff N I8 NVENTOR ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEIFCE.

.IAMESEEANKLIN WILLIAMS, CE VINCENNES, INDIANA, ASsIGNoR E Two-TEIEDSrro FRANCIS SCI-IENKER, oE VINCENNES, INDIANA.

ROTARY ENGlNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters' Patent No. 714,424, datedNovember 25, 1902.

Application iiled July 19,

of Indiana, have invented a certain newand useful Rotary Engine; and Ido hereby `declare that the followingis a full, clear, and eX- actdescription thereof, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, inwhich like numerals referto like parts.

The `object of this invention is to make a rotary engine that cuts offthe `steam at each half-revolution of the Wheel, whereby during half therevolution of the wheel 'the steam acts directly thereon to propel itand during the remaining half the Steam acts on the wheel by expansion.By making a pair of said wheels with means for alternately receiving andcutting off the steam I gain the bene t arising from the expansionWithout any loss of uniformity of Speed.

Another feature of the invention consists in tapering the Wheels, sothat the Wear of the machine will be taken up. y

The invention will be clearly understood frornthe accompanying drawingsand the following description and claims.

In the drawings, Figure'l is a perspective of the engine. Fig. 2 isaperspective of one of the wheels therein. Fig. 3 is a central verticallongitudinal seotion of the engine. Fig. 4E is a cross-section on theline A A of Fig. 3, showing one section of the device in insideelevation. Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the upper half of the machine onthe line B B of Fig. 3, showing the position of the wheel, however, asits piston-head approaches the abutment-blade and just beforetheexhaustport is reached. Fig. 6is the same, showing the position of theWheel `after its piston-'head has passed the exhaust-port and haselevated the abutment-blade.- Fig. 7 is a portion of the same section asFigs. 5 and 6 looking in parts 1, 2, and 3, secured together.

the opposite direction after the piston-head on the Wheel has passed theabutment-blade and the latter has dropped down and steam enters betweenthem.

The casing is formed of three sections or The parts I and 2 are formedlike the frustum of a cone, with a peripheral flange 4 on each side ofthe central section or ring 3, and the three parts 190i. Seriainmeasv.(Numana are bolted together by the bolts 5, as appears of' the casing bythe sleeve l2, having on it the adjustable sleeve 13, and the Wheels l0are held out of too close Contact with the ends of the casing by theball-bearings 14 against the outer ends of the hubs of the Wheels. Theballs 1 4 are carried in a suitable cup l5, that is externally threadedto screw into and be adjustable in a corresponding recess in thebearings 7 on each side of the casing. A ring 16 is provided for lockingthe cups 15 in place.

extending therefrom to the outer periphery. The outer peripheries ofthese Wheels are provided With a circumferential channel, which has forits sides the annular flange 18 on the inner side and the taperingannular flange 19 on the outer side, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Thischannel is in one sense a steam-cylinder, into which steam-is admittedthrough the port 20 from the interior of the casing, Which is thesteam-chest, steam being supplied thereto through the pipe 2l. (Seen'inFig'. l.) Said pipe enters thering 3, and it is immaterial where itenters.

The 4steam which has entered the steamchest or main chamber within thecasing is admitted into the annular peripheral channel of the Wheels bythe Sliding valves 25, which alternately open and close the inlet-ports20.

'In Fig. 3 the lower 'port is open and the upper one is closed. Thevalves 25 are plates sliding in guideways 26, secured to the side of theannular fiange 18, as appears in Figs. 3 and 4. Both valves 25 aresecured to a connecting-rod 27, which is enlarged into a ring as itpasses around the shaft 6 and sleeves l2 and '13, as is seen in Fig. 4c.Any other form 'of this connecting-rod will sufice. The connecting-rodis reciprocated by the arms 28,

The Wheels 10 have a central hub, with a web y IOO secured thereto ateach end, which alteri nately for a full half-revolution are pushedinward or actuated by the ange 29, that is secured to the ring 3, asshown in Fig. 4t. As soon as one arm 28 rides off said ange the otherrides upon it, and thus the ports 2O are alternately opened and closedto admit steam to the wheels. The wheels are rotated by the steamentering the peripheral channels thereof between the piston-head 30 andthe abutment-blade 31, as shown in Fig. 7.

The abutment-blade 31 does not rotate with the wheel 10, and since thepiston-head 30 on the wheel is rotatable therewith the steam enteringbetween them will force the pistonhead 30 away from the abutment-blade3l, and thereby rotate the wheel. The incoming steam will act directlyto accomplish this re sult during the first half-revolution of the wheelwhile the port 2O is open and will tend to propel the wheel by means ofexpansion during the remainder of the revolution. As shown in Fig. 3,the right wheel is approaching the end of the halfrevolution duringwhich it is actuated direct-ly by the ingoing steam, while the wheel tothe left is approaching the end of the half-revolution during which itis actuated by the expansion of the steam that has entered its channel.

The piston-head 30 is practically a partition in the channel of thewheel 10, inclined on its outer edge to correspond with the innersurface of the casing. The abutment-blade is mounted so as to bevertically movable in the boxes 35 on sections 1 and 2 of the casing andabove the Wheels 10, as appears in Figs. 1 and 3. The abutment-bladesare merely plates, which when depressed fit snugly in the channel of thewheel l0, as shown at the right hand in Fig. 3 and as is seen in Fig.'7. The abutment-blade is depressed by the spiral spring 36, surroundingthe guide-rod 37, said spring and guide-rod extending into the recess orwell 3S in the abutment-blade. Said plates are also guided by the boxes35, in which they are mounted, as appears in Figs. 5 and 6.

On the forward side the piston-head 30 in the wheel lO is inclined, asshown in Figs. 5 and 6, so as to elevate the abutment-blade from theposition shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 6 or from the positionshown at the right hand in Fig. 3 to that shown at the left hand of Fig.3. The exhaust-ports 39 lead into the exhaust-pipes 41 from a point insections 1 and 2 of the casing just in front of the boxes containing theabutment-blades, as appears in Figs. 1 and 5, so that as the wheel 10approaches the end of its revolution and while it is elevating theabutment-blade the charge of steam which has propelled the wheel duringsuch revolution will be exhausted. The momentum of the wheel, and theaction of the other wheel on it, will cause the wheel after it passesthe exhaust-port to pass beyond the abutment-blade, whereupon theabutment-blade is pushed down again into the channel and steam is atthat point introduced between the abutment-blade by reason of the flange29 actuating the slide-valve 25 to open the port. The upper port will beopen and the lower port closed after the wheels have been rotated just alittle beyond the position in which they are shown in Fig. 3.

The wheels 10 are balanced by the openings 40 through the webs thereof,whereby the pressure of the steam within the casing will be on bothsides of the Wheels to avoid jamming them endwise against the ends ofthe casing.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A rotary engine including a casing, a wheel therein having acircumferential channel with a piston-head in said channel, asteam-inlet port leading into said channel behind the abutment, a valvefor opening and closing said port, and means on the casing for actuatingsaid valve.

2. A rotary engine including a casing, means for introducing steam intosaid casing whereby the interior of the casing will be a steam-chest, awheel mounted in said casing having a circumferential channel the twosides of which engage the casing substantially steam-tight, apiston-head in said channel of the wheel, the outer edge of whichengages the casing, a removable abutment-blade in the channel, asteam-inlet port leading from the interior of the casing into saidchannel of the wheel behind said piston-head, a valve mechanism foropening and closing said steam-inlet port, and means on the casing foractuating said valve when desired.

3. A rotary engine including a casing with a chamber therein, means forintroducing steam into said chamber whereby it becomes a steam chest, awheel mounted in said steam-chest which is circumferentially channeledand the periphery of which lits the casing steam-tight, a piston-head inthe channel of the wheel, a removable abutment-blade held in suchchannel, a valve-controlled inlet-port leading from the steam-chestthrough the side of the wheel into said channel behind the piston-head.

4. A rotary engine including a casing with a chamber therein, means forconveying steam to said chamber whereby it becomes a steam-chest, ashaft extending through said steam-chest, a pair of wheels mounted onthe shaft in said chest which are circumferentially channeled, and withtheir peripheries fitting the casing steam-tight, a piston-head in thechannel of the wheel, a removable abutment-blade held in said channel,and valve-controlled inlet-ports leading from the steam-chest throughthe sides of the wheels into the channels thereof behind the pistonhead.

5. A rotary engine including a casing, a pair of wheels therein mountedside by side with a chamber between them and circum- IOO IIO

i ferentially channeled with the sides of the channel fittingsteam-tight Within the casing, a piston-head in the channel, a removableabutment-blade held in the channel of each wheel, means for introducingsteam into the chamber Within the casing between the Wheels, asteam-inlet port from said chamber into the channel in each wheel, andmeans for opening and closin g said ports alternately with each other.

6. A rotary engine including a casing, means for introducing steamtherein, a pair of Wheels mounted in the opposite ends of said casingand so formed as to be driven by steam, a pair of steam-inlet ports thatare located diametrically opposite each other through which steam issupplied for driving said-Wheels, valves for opening and closing saidports, a semicircular ange on the inner wall of the casing, and meansconnected with said valves that engage said flange, whereby the ValvesWill be actuated during the revolution of the wheels and cause them toalternately open and close said ports.

7. A'rotary engine having" a casing with two oppositely-tapering ends, ashaft extending therethrough, a pair of wheels mounted on said shaft onein each tapering end of the casing with space between them and withtheir peripheries circumferentially channeled and engaging the casing,means for introducing steam into the chamber between the wheels, portsleading from said chamber into the channels in the wheels, `and openingsthrough the Wheels whereby they will be ba1- anced.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presenceof the witnesses Witnesses:

NORMAN E. BECKER, W. W. JOHNSON.

